


Way to Dreams

by twilieighplants



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Minor Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Minor Kairi/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Minor Naminé/Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:01:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29998353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilieighplants/pseuds/twilieighplants
Summary: Sora returns to his hometown in hopes to find inspiration for his next novel. He finds the inspiration and much more.updates on Tuesdays and Fridays!
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 14
Collections: Soriku Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [art](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n6dh9ZS-aFsNpZEDhZdYYklAjnXYnjqF/view) by Hackwolfin

**Prologue:**

_Oras found himself staring out into the horizon, the waves of the ocean washing over his feet as he stood firmly in the sand. He subconsciously wiggled his toes, feeling the way the water and sand mixed together and covered his skin._

_It was a strange feeling for him, being back on the islands. It was his home after all, but something about it felt like a part of it was missing; a part of him was missing._

_He took in a deep breath, followed by a hardy sigh and turned around only to be quickly taken aback as he found himself suddenly face to face with Kiru’s chest. He looked up to find Kiru smiling down at him, “Welcome home Oras,” he said, taking Oras’ hand._

_Smiling, Oras wrapped his arms around Kiru’s waist, burying his face in his chest. He looked up again, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at Kiru, “Should we settle here?” he asked quietly._

_Kiru shifted and looked down at Oras, an eyebrow raised as he searched Oras’ face, “What do you mean?” he asked._

_Oras shrugged, “We haven’t been here in so long, is it really home?” he asked._

_Silence fell over them before Kiru laughed. Oras’ eyebrows furrowed as he stepped away from Kiru, “What’s so funny?”, he asked, perplexed._

_Kiru wiped a tear from his eyes and pulled Oras towards him, leaning down to capture his lips into a gentle kiss and whispering, “So long as I am with you, I am **home.**_

Sora threw his arms up in the air in celebration before he saved his document. He did it. He had finally finished the last novel of his Kingdom Hearts’ series. Before he forgot, he attached the document to an email and sent it off to his editor Ienzo and to Isa, his publisher.

Sora couldn’t help but beam an enormous smile in victory of his accomplishment and turned on a small table light on his desk, only to find his cats, Merlin and Yen Sid, curled up next to his boyfriend, Riku, sleeping comfortably on his plush, queen-sized bed.

Sora stood up from his squeaky office chair and silently slipped into bed and wrapped his arm around Riku’s waist, careful not to disturb the three slumbering. Despite his best efforts, he felt Riku reach out to grab his hand, lacing their fingers together. Burying his face into the pillow, Sora couldn’t fight the smile that was tugging at his lips.

Thinking back to his story, there was never any doubt in Sora’s mind, he was finally where he wanted to be; for as long as he was with Riku, he was truly home.


	2. Chapter 2

**1.**

_**Several months earlier** _

There was something eerily peaceful to Sora about the clacking of a keyboard. The sound of someone hard at work in the silence of their home, as they toiled relentlessly on a passion project. 

Sora wished he could say that was the case for him here. He sighed deeply and couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on as he highlighted and erased the keysmash that mockingly stared back at him on the computer screen.

Leaning back in his chair, Sora huffed and watched the cursor blink steadily at him, almost as if it was a tapping finger, waiting for his next big idea. “Fuck you,” he cursed under his breath and shut the laptop closed. Running his hands over his face, Sora picked up his phone and glanced at it for a moment. Usually, when he hit a case of writer's block, he’d confide in his wife Kairi, but considering the impending conversation he needed to have with her, it didn’t feel appropriate. 

Grabbing his phone, he scrolled through his contacts, passing Kairi’s name and landing on his Sister-in-Law, Namine. He hovered over the contact for a moment, and decided to tap it after a few seconds. He knew if any of his friends or family knew what to do, it’d definitely be someone as sensible as Namine. 

The phone rang even twice before Namine’s voice could be heard answering the call, “Hello?” Namine asked. 

“Hey Nami, how are you?” Sora asked, running his hand through his hair. He could hear Namine giggle at something Xion said. 

“I’m doing well, how are things going for you?” Namine asked. 

The question opened the floodgates as Sora jumped into his dilemma: his writer’s block and the unfortunate conversation that he had been putting off. He told Namine how every time he looked at his laptop or sat down to write, all of his creativity and imagination disappeared into thin air. Sora was sure it had to do with the conversation he was putting off with Kairi. The longer he put it off, the longer his novel was going to take. 

“Sora, have you talked to her yet?” Namine asked after a few beats of silence. 

“No, and I feel like the cursor is mocking me for it. Every blink is ‘Tell her, tell her!’ and I hate it.” 

“Maybe your writer’s block is your mind telling you to stop procrastinating and have the conversation with Kairi. The story can’t reach its resolution if you can’t get to the climax right? This is your resolution. She’ll understand. I know she’ll understand.” Namine spoke candidly.

“We’ve been married for ten years, we were, no, are childhood sweethearts, I can’t just end a ten year marriage because I’m gay! People don’t just get up and do that! What if...oh god what if…” Sora trailed off, his voice growing small, “What if this is the one time she doesn’t understand, Nami? What if she thinks these past few years were a lie?” He sniffled, tears beginning to form in his eyes. The thought of hurting someone so close to him began to tug at his enormous heartstrings. 

Sora heard Namine hum before speaking, “Sora, you care about Kairi, yes? And you meant those vows when you made them to her, correct?” she asked. 

Nodding, Sora replied with a quiet, “Yeah,” as he choked back his tears.

“Then the past ten years have not been a lie, you’re just discovering something about yourself that you’ve had locked away for years. You vowed to care and love her for the rest of your lives, you can still do that, even if you’re not married. Love isn’t just purely romantic in nature,” Namine said gently. 

Sora let out another exasperated sigh. Namine always knew just what to say and always knew just the right advice to give. “Thank you...for putting that into perspective for me Nami; I guess I hadn’t thought about it like that.” Sora stated, his tone beginning to lighten.

“Anytime Sora. Now go make Kairi’s favorite dish; she likes that honey mustard chicken right? Make that for dinner, and think about what you’re going to say. I’ll call you in the morning to see how everything went, okay?” Namine offered. 

Sora agreed and thanked Namine again before they said their good-byes. Pocketing his phone, he headed out of his office and into the kitchen to get started on dinner. 

He thought back on what Namine had said. He knew she was right; Kairi would understand. She’d be so sweet about it, reassure him that everything was going to be okay, that there’d be no hard feelings. He knew she’d offer to let him stay in his office or the guest room for as long as he needed or until he got his own place. That’s just the kind of person she was.

But there was still the nagging ‘what if’ that settled into the back of his mind: what if she wasn’t understanding? What if she kicked him out and took his cats? What if she took this to his publisher and he lost everything?

The questions were definitely overtaking any positive thought that came to mind. But he knew he couldn’t delay the conversation any longer. The sooner he told Kairi, the sooner he’d know the outcome. 

Just as Sora was taking the chicken out of the oven, the front door opened and in walked Kairi. “Oh man, what’s the occasion? You’re making my favorite meal? Did you get some work done today?” she asked, walking into the kitchen to give Sora a hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

“Hm, no, unfortunately. I got a few sentences in and nothing was flowing well. How was your day?” Sora asked as he mixed more of the honey mustard sauce in a bowl to smother the chicken with. 

Kairi jumped at the opportunity to answer Sora’s question and began to prattle off about her day, which eventually transformed into quite the long tangent about how one of her clients wasn’t happy with the end result of a commission, “It would be fine if she had told me, I don’t know, three weeks ago, when I sent her the final result and before I started working on the dress, but nope, she told me it was perfect and that she couldn’t _wait_ to have the dress in her hands.” She sighed, grabbing a wine glass from the cupboard and pouring herself some Cabernet. 

Sora pulled plates and cutlery out of the cupboards and drawers as he listened, wondering if telling Kairi now was the best idea after her rough day at work. He bit back a sigh as he prepared their plates and placed them on the table, “I’m really sorry Kai, that sounds super frustrating,” he said. 

He poured himself a glass of milk to have with his dinner and took a seat next to Kairi at the table. He ate quietly while Kairi talked about her plan for the commission and what she was going to do to fix the issues the customer had.

It was halfway through dinner before Sora realized Kairi was studying him. He could feel his face grow warm from the sudden attention and he looked up from his plate to look at her. “You’re being awfully quiet this evening,” she said, as she caught his glance. 

It wasn’t a question; Sora picked up on that, and he decided it was now or never. He set his utensils down and looked up at Kairi. “Kairi, I need to talk to you about something,” he said quietly. 

Kairi’s glass was halfway to her lips when she noticed Sora’s posture. “Hunny, what is it?” she asked, setting her glass back down on the table. 

Sora set his fork down and looked at Kairi, studying her face, searching for anything that indicated this was a bad day. When all he could find was the sweet, concerned look of his wife, he knew there was no backing down now. “Do you know how in my first book, Oras, Kirai and Kiru have plans to leave the island, to find different worlds?” he asked. “And how at the end of the first book, Oras decides not to return to his home to find Kiru, the King, and inevitably, himself?” 

A confused expression formed on Kairi’s face as she set her own fork down. She shifted in her chair, leaning toward Sora, “Is there something you’re trying to say Sora?” she asked gently, her voice wavering. 

Sora bit his lip, his chest feeling tight and his throat felt like it was closing, “I’m so sorry Kai, I really am.” He let out a sob, burying his face in his hands. 

He heard the scrape of the chair against the hardwood and felt Kairi’s hand on his back, “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. Look at me.” She rubbed his back gently until his sobs subsided. 

Sora wiped his eyes and looked up at his wife, another sob escaping from deep in his throat when he saw the sympathetic expression on her face. 

Kairi wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her chin on his head, as she held him close, “It’s okay Sora, I’m not mad. You have been my best friend for, Gods, most of our lives. You can tell me anything,” she reassured, kissing his hair. 

Sora took a deep breath and moved away so he could wipe his face again. Looking at Kairi, he took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking, “Kai, I’m gay.” 

The look on Kairi’s face was a mixture of confusion, hurt, and relief. She grabbed the chair closest to her and pulled it up next to Sora and took a seat. The silence that fell over them was heavy as Kairi took a moment to process what Sora had told her, and it made Sora want to get up and run and never look back. He stared at the table, unable to look up at his wife. 

“Sora, please look at me,” Kairi whispered. The tone of her voice made Sora’s heart hurt even more than it already did. He hesitantly met her eyes, his bottom lip quivering. He broke down again, chanting “I’m so sorry, please don’t hate me.” 

A concerned expression formed on Kairi’s face as she ran her hand through Sora’s hair. She swiped her thumb along his cheek to wipe away his tears, “You have been my best friend since we were children. I could never hate you.” she said softly. 

Sora took a couple deep breaths and nodded at Kairi’s words. Despite Kairi’s words of reassurance, Sora didn’t feel any better. He still felt a heavy weight on his chest, but it was different than before. 

He looked at Kairi who gave him another reassuring smile which only made his eyes start to water again. 

Kairi let out a sad laugh as she wrapped her arms around Sora, running her hands through his hair, “It’s okay,” she whispered.

It took some time for Sora to finally settle down, but the hardest part was over. He told Kairi. And as Namine had predicted, she wasn’t mad. He could tell it was hard for her. Of course it would be--he was ending an almost ten-year marriage.

“How did you find this out?” Kairi broke the silence that fell over them, playing with her napkin. 

Sora looked up from his dinner and shrugged, “I kind of always knew, I just kind of was always pushing it aside, ignoring the feelings I had. High school was tough and seeing how Namine and Riku,” he paused. He hadn’t thought about or spoken to Riku in such a long time. “Seeing how hard it was for them to come out when they did, I think frightened me back in the closet.”

Silence fell over them again and Sora watched Kairi’s expression. She didn’t seem too upset about his explanation and he wondered, did she know? And if she did, for how long had she known?

“I see. Namine and Riku,” Kairi didn’t elaborate further, her voice trailing off. Sora wondered what was going through her head. Did she blame Riku and Namine for something he had been hiding for years? “And where does that leave us?, she asked, turning to face Sora.

“Oh I haven’t really started thinking about it,” Sora confessed. That was one of his biggest flaws, jumping into something without really thinking things through. “I figured I shouldn’t be here...that this whole ‘us’ thing...now that I’ve said something I probably should go. Move out, ya know? I’ll start looking at places around town, get my own place.” Sora suggested. He just turned his whole life upside down and he should’ve thought about what needed to be done now. There were motels he could stay at, if need be. He’d figure it out. 

Kairi shook her head, “Sora, I’m not going to kick you out of the house even...even if we are separating. You or I can stay in the guest room. We have that old full size bed in the guest room we never put together, we can do that. You can stay here as long as you need.” 

Sora looked at Kairi and gave her a sad smile. He knew this had to be hard on her and yet, she was still being as charitable and understanding as she could be. He’d have to look into his finances, but maybe he could pay off the flat for her. Or upgrade her car. 

There was no way he could take away the hurt this was going to inevitably cause her, but if he was able to ease her pain at all, he would do his damndest to succeed. It’s all he felt he could do. He couldn’t help but feel he was being selfish in all of this.

Another slightly less awkward silence fell over them as they finished up dinner. Kairi offered to clean the dishes as Sora cooked dinner and while Kairi silently worked in the kitchen, Sora went into his office. He stopped to pet his cat, Yen Sid, who was laying belly up on the cat tower. 

Flipping back open his laptop, Sora started looking at listings of apartments and flats in Traverse Town. He bookmarked a couple he liked and would call in the morning to schedule viewings. He debated emailing his brother Roxas, letting him know what was going on, but in the end he decided against it; he didn’t want to burden him with this. 

An hour passed and Kairi peeked her head in to let him know she was staying with Olette for the night. “Let me know if you need anything; I’ll have my phone,” she said. 

Sora nodded, standing up and pulling Kairi into a hug. He felt her shoulders tense and shake as she started crying and he held her, knowing there was nothing he could do or say to make the hurt go away. When Kairi settled down, she gave him a squeeze around his waist and a closed lip smile, “You are still my best friend,” she said, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze before leaving the room. 

Staring at the space where Kairi was just standing, Sora let out a shaky breath. “Yeah, you too Kairi.” 

\----

The next morning had Sora building the full size bed in the guest room, changing the sheets on Kairi’s bed and moving his things from her room to his new one. He wasn’t sure how long Kairi was going to be staying at Olette’s, as he was sure she needed some time away. 

Once the bed was built and most of his stuff was moved into the extra room, Sora started looking into more apartments. He gave a couple of the places a call, and he eventually lucked into a two bedroom flat that was in downtown Traverse Town. It was on the outskirts of town, just close enough to his publisher's office. He scheduled an appointment to see it that weekend.

As the realization that he needed to start researching a3 divorce lawyer, the realization of what his _future_ was going to look like settled in. He and Kairi weren’t going to spend the rest of their lives together, no children, no growing old. Just the mere thought of a different future gave him immense pain and gratifying relief all at once. His eyes started to burn as tears formed in the corners. Wiping his face, he took a deep breath. 

The future was changing and it was going to hurt…a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to add the first two chapters because 1. the prologue is so short and 2. because it's a bit misleading, imo. 
> 
> Lemme know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**2.**

A few months had passed since Sora’s initial coming out to Kairi and things were starting to get back to normal. As normal things could be. After doing some light research in the coming weeks after that night, Sora had since spoken to a local divorce lawyer and started the proceedings of getting a divorce from Kairi. He made it quite clear that Kairi was to get the flat and he would make sure she had a savings on the chance _something_ could happen. 

If his feelings weren’t obvious, Sora felt guilty. He felt guilty over ending a ten year marriage and dumping a well hidden secret on one of his best friends. He hated that there was nothing he could do to alleviate the pain he had caused Kairi, but he knew he could move on easier, knowing she would be taken care of and not struggling to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. 

It would be a few more months before their divorce was finalized, and life didn’t stop for separations and divorces. Kairi would not let this event keep her down and had started dating, while Sora had other worries; his publisher was beginning to put pressure on him to start working on his novel. 

Right now the current goal was to get two hundred pages written in two months, but all Sora was able to manage was two hundred words. Heading into the kitchen, Sora started making himself a pot of coffee as Kairi was slipping her shoes on her feet, “Going out with Ventus?” he asked as he watched the pot fill. 

“Yup! We’re going to that cute little tea garden in Radiant Garden and then we’re going back to his place, are you sure you don’t want to join us? I know Ventus won’t mind dropping you off back here.” Kairi asked as she laced her shoes. 

“Hm? Oh yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m going to try and write some, since Isa’s starting to breathe down my neck for the next novel. I'll see if I can get the ball rolling ya know? Hopefully I can get something at least decent enough to be sent to him. Maybe next time? Tell Ventus I’m sorry and I’m not avoiding meeting him.” Sora said, grabbing a mug out of the cupboard so he could pour his coffee, “Speaking of...you’re staying the night with him, right? Sounds like things are getting pretty serious between you two. Do I need to give him _the talk?_ ” Sora asked jokingly.

Kairi rolled her eyes playfully at Sora before standing and patting away wrinkles and invisible dust off her outfit, “As much as I love you Sora, Merlin would be scarier to receive the talk from. We’re just having fun right now. No need for any talks or threats. But the moment things get serious, you’ll be the first to know.” she promised as she left the kitchen, heading into her room. 

Sora just grinned at her as she passed him. He finished making his coffee before walking down the hallway and into his office to attempt to put some progress into his novel. Sora was at least hoping to have some sort of summary to present to his publisher before the end of the week. He took a seat at his desk, took a forcibly long drink of his coffee, and shuddered as it burnt his throat. 

He stared at the document, re-reading what he already typed out and added a few missing words here and there. He typed a few sentences out but deleted them shortly after, unhappy with what he read. Despite his best efforts, coffee did not, in fact, help his writer’s block.

Kairi popped her head into the office, “I’m heading out.” 

Sora turned away from his computer and gave her a nod, “Okay, I’ll see ya tomorrow?” he asked. 

“Yup, I’ll let you know if something changes.” Kairi replied with a reassuring smile.

“Sounds good, have fun Kai.” Sora responded with a warm smile.

Sora turned back to his computer after Kairi left the office. He sighed and began looking his document up and down over and over again, attempting to search for the right words to type as if they were hidden amongst the rest of his writing. It felt like every sentence he typed out was mocking him, telling him he was a failure at everything he did; writing, his marriage, his relationships in general. After an hour or so, Sora finally felt like he was starting to get a groove on typing something out, Sora groaned upon seeing his agent’s name flash across his phone screen. Isa wasn’t an awful person, just cold and a little stern. And he already knew what this call was in regards to; his next novel. 

Picking up his phone, he tapped on the answer button knowing Isa wasn’t going to stop contacting him until they spoke. 

“Hello?” Sora held his phone between his ear and shoulder. 

“Good morning Sora, it’s Isa. How are you?” Isa’s calm, yet almost authoritative voice filtered through the speaker. 

Putting on a smile, Sora greeted him again, “I’m doing well Isa, how are you? How are Xemnas and the kids?” he asked. 

“They’re doing well, thank you. Now, the reason for the call unfortunately was not for a social call. Higher ups want to know; are we getting the final installment to the _Kingdom Hearts_ series this year?” Isa asked. 

Ah, yes. The monthly guilt courtesy call to demand answers as to whether or not he was releasing a new book this year. Sora had come to expect this call all too often, and it never once got any more comfortable for him to answer.

Sora leaned back against his chair and rubbed his hand over his forehead, “I’m hoping to have it written for next year,” he said. _“That is if my inspiration would stop punishing me and let him write something worthwhile.”_ Sora, thought to himself.

“Oh really? When should I tell them you’ll have a summary ready?” Isa inquired. Sora could hear movement and was sure Isa was grabbing his planner. 

“Mhm, I can have my proposal ready and to you in a week,” Sora promised. He knew he’d at least put out some sort of half-assed summary to feed the hungry sharks. 

“Perfect, I will let them know. I expect to hear from you in a week.” Isa sounded pleased with Sora’s response.

“Yup, talk to you then.” Sora ended the call with a sigh. He set his phone down and looked at what he had written so far and groaned. His groove was shot and he was already starting to hate what he already wrote. 

Closing the document, Sora’s phone started to ring again. “What do you want _Isa?_ ” he growled, picking up his phone, ready to butt heads with his publisher. His resolve dissolved when he saw Namine’s name flash across the screen. 

“Hey Nami, what’s up?” he answered. 

“Hey Sora, I wanted to see if you wanted to get lunch? I’m in town for a teaching seminar.” Namine said. 

Sora looked at the clock that hung above his desk, it was half past one and he hadn’t eaten breakfast, so how could he say ‘No?’ “Sure, where do you wanna have lunch?” Sora inquired.

“There’s a sandwich place right across from the community center where the seminar is at, would you mind meeting there?” Namine asked. 

Sora nodded, “I’ll be right there.”

After they hung up, Sora slipped on his shoes, locked up the condo and headed out to his car. He drove to the sandwich shop and quickly found a place to park and headed up to the front where Namine was sitting and waiting. 

“Hello Sora!” She greeted, hugging him as he approached. 

“Hey Nami, it’s good to see you.” Sora said, stepping back to really look at his ex-sister-in-law. Her long blonde hair was braided and fell over her shoulder. She wore a light blue tee and capri pants with a pair of white flats. 

“How’s Xion doing?” Sora asked as they headed inside, stepping in line to put in their orders. 

“She’s doing good, she got a job offer in Radiant Garden, so we’re looking at places there. It’ll be nice, a change of scenery and depending on if this job goes over well, we might finally start a family.” Namine explained, clapping her hands together. 

Sora’s face lit up, “That’s fantastic news Nami! I really hope that works out for you two.” they moved up the line and placed their orders with the worker before taking a seat. 

“How have you been?” Namine asked as she got settled into the booth. 

Shrugging, Sora placed his hands on the table, “Better, finally talking to Kairi and coming out really lifted a weight off my shoulders.”

Namine studied him for a moment before speaking, “Buuuuut?” 

Sora looked up at her and playfully rolled his eyes. Namine was always more intuitive for her own good. 

“ _But_ , I’m still having some bad writer's block. I can’t focus on writing. I can barely get out more than a hundred words written before my mind just blanks out and I forget where I’m going with the idea. It’s like there’s something holding me back.” he explained. 

Namine’s eyebrows furrowed as she processed what Sora was saying, “Hmm, well. _Kingdom Hearts_ is based around Destiny Islands right? Maybe you need to go back to where it all started. Go back and see what made you start the story to begin with.” she offered. 

Sora nodded. What Namine said made sense. Maybe with all the changes in his life, a change of scenery was what he needed and maybe going back to Destiny Islands would help spark some of that creativity. Their names were called and Sora quickly stood up and headed up to grab their sandwiches. As he waited in line behind the lady who was before them, asking for some condiments, he thought about what Namine had said. Maybe a change of scenery was necessary. Kairi had jumped in feet first into moving on, started dating and was already seeing someone somewhat regularly. Whereas Sora was staying in the guest room of his old home, trying to work on his latest novel and getting nowhere beyond the main character’s name. 

He walked up to the counter and thanked the employee before taking the tray back to his seat.

“Ya know? I think you may be onto something,” Sora took a seat and flipped the tray so their sandwiches were sitting in front of them. 

Namine’s eyebrows raised and she encouraged him to continue with a wave of her hand. 

“Kairi’s been seeing someone. About a month after I told her, she was asked out on a date and decided to go for it. She seems really happy with this Ventus person she’s been seeing. She always seemed happy when we were married, but there’s this, this, glow about her since she started seeing Ventus. She’s even had some creativity breakthroughs and while I appreciate her letting me stay with her while I figure things out, I wonder if staying here in Traverse Town is hindering my creativity.” Sora rambled as he unwrapped his sandwich slowly. 

Namine looked at Sora and nodded, “It makes sense. I think you've been focusing on making sure Kairi is taking care of, that you’ve forgotten that you need to be taken care of too, “Namine suggested. Maybe, _if_ , you decide to move back to Destiny Islands, you’ll find something or someone that will help with your creativity.” 

Sora looked down at his sandwich, “Yeah, I… I think you’re right.” he said, slumping a little. 

“The decision doesn’t need to be made immediately either. Think it over, talk to Kairi about it. And you know I’m always available to talk.” Namine said 

“I appreciate it Nami.” Sora looked up at Namine, smiling, his spirits beginning to lift.

Conversation slowly shifted into more light hearted topics. Namine told Sora about her teaching seminar and how she wanted to take her advanced art students to the local art museum in Twilight Town while Sora told her about an idea for his novel that was plaguing him. When they finished their food, Namine asked Sora if he wanted to walk and look at the shops downtown. Sora agreed and they made their way to downtown. They stopped at a couple shops and looked inside, Namine having bought a couple of sketchbooks and high end pencils she had been wanting for some time. 

“It’ll give me something to do while I’m in my hotel.” Namine shrugged as they made their way to the cash registers. 

Sora had picked out a few things for himself, mainly snacks that he usually couldn’t find at the local grocery store. Their final stop was at the small candy store that sat on the corner. Sora wanted to head inside to get some candy for himself and get a pound of Kairi’s favorite candy. Namine agreed, wanting to pick up some candy for herself and some candy for when her kids behaved. As they headed out of the candy store, bags filled with goodies, Namine looked at her watch, “Oh shoot, I need to head back to my hotel. The next seminar starts at five.” she said. 

“Oh, well, let’s go then!” The pair quickly made their way back to the sandwich shop where they said their good-byes. 

“I know you’ll make the right decision, see you soon,” Namine gave him a hug before climbing into her car and driving off. 

The loft was empty when Sora arrived home. He placed the candies he purchased for Kairi on the counter, knowing she’d see them when she got home. As Sora unpacked his snacks, the front door opened and Kairi walked in. “Oh hey Sora,” she said, setting her keys in a bowl placed atop a small shelf next to the door.

“Hey Kai, you’re home early, I thought you were spending the night with Ventus?” he asked. 

Kairi shrugged, “He had an emergency. Apparently the party planner who was in charge of an event tonight had to cancel, but the event couldn’t be cancelled, so he agreed to take over. He’s gonna pick me up afterwards,” 

Sora hummed, “Ah, that sucks, I’m sorry about your evening. I got you some of those gummy candies you like. The peach and watermelon flavors. They’re on the counter if you’re interested,” Sora greeted, closing the pantry door. 

Kairi’s face lit up and she promptly walked into the kitchen, “I didn’t know you had plans to go into downtown today.” she said, grabbing one of the bags to open it. 

“That’s because I didn’t, actually. Namine called, I guess she’s in town for a seminar and wanted to get lunch. How did your date go?” Sora asked, taking a seat at the table. 

“She is? Why didn’t she tell me?” Kairi asked, dropping the bag of candy on to the counter and grabbing out her phone to text her sister. 

Sora just laughed, “She said she was gonna call you after her seminar tonight, but in the meantime we got lunch and went window shopping.”

Kairi pouted for a moment before setting her phone down and grabbing her candies again, “I see, I can’t believe she called you before she called me.” Kairi huffed as she tossed a piece of candy into her mouth. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she had a good reason.” Sora said, drawing patterns on the table with his finger. The crinkling from Kairi’s candy bag filled the silence for a moment before Sora shifted in his seat. 

“I’m thinking of moving back home.” Sora stated. 

Kairi stilled for a moment, swallowing her candy and studying him before nodding, “I think that’d be really good for you, actually.” 

“Yeah, I think so too. Namine thinks maybe going back to my inspiration may help me break down this block.” Sora explained. 

“You did always love everything about the islands. Maybe you’ll fall in love with everything there again.” Kairi grinned, grabbing her bags of candy before walking out of the kitchen. As she passed Sora, she settled her hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze. 

“I’ll be cheering for you Sora.” 

Sora gave her hand a squeeze and thanked her before waiting for her to go into her room. He looked around the dining room of the loft and let out a sigh of relief. Like all those months before, it felt like yet another weight had been lifted off his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad so many of you are enjoying this! 
> 
> As always kudos and comments are appreciated it!
> 
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh, it's here! So much sweat, tears and hardwork was put into this fic and I can't be happier with how it turned out!
> 
> A big shoutout to the mods of the Soriku Big Bang for organizing this event and being helpful every step of the way, to Jazz for betaing my fic for me and to Hack for being my artist! It was great working with you. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
